Nicola Orlando, EU Ambassador to Libya, revealed last Thursday (30 July) that procedures were finalised to establish a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Benghazi under Operation IRINI. The Centre will be established with funding from Italy and Malta.
The Centre, he added, together with dedicated training by IRINI and EUBAM Libya, will strengthen Libya’s capacity to conduct search and rescue operations at sea in line with international standards and human rights.
Orlanda commented that this marks an important milestone in the EU-Libya partnership to save lives at sea and advance rights-based migration and integrated border management.